Gruver graduate changing the rules with Pink Pride

June 3, 2014

Once upon a time, born and bred in Gruver, America, the little tomboy girl, Yadira Mendoza, grew up to bring a new meaning to "girls rule" as she surprised her friends and family during her high school graduation ceremony on Friday.
Yadira isn't the average teenage girl. She does something not many women can say they do. Not only that, but she's really good at it.
When this tall, beautiful girl with long brown hair walks into a room, the last thing to cross anyone's mind would be to label her as a welder. To many people's surprise, Yadira works for Bigdawg Construction in Gruver, Texas and she specializes in welding. She doesn't only specialize in it, but according to her boss, Andy Johnson, she caught on quicker than most and she does good work.
About a month ago Yadira's brother lost his job in the oil field due to a non-work related incident that lead him to lose an eye.
Yadira's mother then quit her job so she could take care of him.
Johnson said Yadira came to him and said she wanted to help her family, so he told her she should go ask for sponsors and maybe be able to get a welder so she could continue welding through school.
Johnson said she started getting sponsorships and then the list of sponsors continued to grow, including Westair in Guymon and Lincoln Electric.
He said there were a lot of people inspired by what she was doing and agreed to help her reach these heights she has reached.
As a result, some major companies teamed up and provided Yadira with over $100,000 worth of welding equipment, with a bright twist - It was all custom painted bright pink for Yadira.

To learn more about Yadira and her sponsorships, pick up Tuesday's edition of the Guymon Daily Herald. For information on subscribing, please call 580.338.3355, we have options from one day to one year. Call us today!